Presto tour

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Presto Tour
Tour by Rush
Poster to the concerts in Toronto, Canada
LocationNorth America
Associated albumPresto
Start dateFebruary 17, 1990
End dateJune 29, 1990
No. of shows63
Rush concert chronology

The Presto Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush in support of their thirteenth studio album Presto.

Background

The tour started on February 17, 1990 at Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina[1] and concluded on June 29, 1990 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, California,[2] having performed to more than 650,000 fans.[3] Opening bands that premiered in the tour included Mr. Big, Chalk Circle and Voivod.[4] The stage production for each of the shows were presented with elements of the Presto cover art, which had featured lasers and Vari-Lites that were dropped from trusses on extensions as well as two giant inflatable rabbits, two sets of rear PA speakers on the back end of the stage floor to represent a quadrophonic effect on the sound which was engineered by Robert Scoville,[5] and a projection screen that displayed video sequences and retro films throughout the performance.[3] When the band performed in Toronto for two shows in May 1990, both shows had raised $200,000 for United Way for the demands on the band for complimentary tickets.[6]

Reception

Michael Hochanadel from the Daily Gazette opened his review stating that the visuals made the Rush concert at the Knickerbocker Arena on June 2, 1990, one of the biggest, brightest and overwhelming rock spectacles - with effects representing a 1970s arena rock throwback with the usage of lasers and haze. While criticizing the music's lyrics as being sometimes preachy, he stated that they were at the same time, anthemic and tackled subjects in a fairly obvious way, but added that they needed something to keep their songs from sounding too alike. Praising Lee's vocals, Hochanadel affirmed that his voice gave the songs emotion that the lyrics did not always earn.[5]

Reviewing the Pittsburgh performance on June 7, 1990, Janice Haidet of The Vindicator stated that the band put a huge reliance on talent from the instruments they were using, treating a crowded arena of fans to a "searing rock and roll feast". Haidet noted that the band kept the audience standing on their seats with fists raised in time with the music, and Geddy Lee delivering extraordinary vocals that were presented by a balanced and clear sound mix - also noting the show as one of the best light shows in rock music, although outdone by Genesis and Pink Floyd.[7] Peter B. King from the Pittsburgh Press who was in attendance at the same show that night, stated that the band had offered some of the best visuals seen at a rock concert, and expressed that Rush had delivered an intelligent, distinctive brand of "art rock".[8]

Set list

This is an example set list adapted from Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth – The Official Touring History of what were performed during the tour, but may not represent the majority of the shows.[9]

  1. "Force Ten"
  2. "Freewill"
  3. "Distant Early Warning"
  4. "Time Stand Still"
  5. "Subdivisions"
  6. "Marathon"
  7. "Red Barchetta"
  8. "Superconductor"
  9. "Show Don't Tell"
  10. "The Pass"
  11. "Closer to the Heart"
  12. "Manhattan Project"
  13. "Xanadu"
  14. "YYZ"
  15. "The Rhythm Method" (Neil Peart drum solo)
  16. "Scars"
  17. "War Paint"
  18. "Mission"
  19. "Tom Sawyer"
    Encore
  20. "The Big Money"
  21. "2112: Overture"
  22. "La Villa Strangiato"
  23. "In the Mood"
  24. "Wipeout!"

Tour dates

List of 1990 concerts[10][11]
Date City Country Venue Attendance Revenue
February 17, 1990Greenville United StatesGreenville Memorial Auditorium 7,230 / 7,230 $137,370
February 19, 1990JacksonvilleJacksonville Memorial Coliseum 7,254 / 7,500 $128,279
February 20, 1990St. PetersburgBayfront Center 7,094 / 8,400 $124,838
February 22, 1990MiamiMiami Arena 13,541 / 13,541 $245,662
February 23, 1990OrlandoOrlando Arena 12,156 / 12,156 $220,650
February 25, 1990New OrleansLakefront Arena 9,204 / 9,204 $165,113
February 26, 1990HoustonThe Summit 13,153 / 13,153 $240,119
February 28, 1990San AntonioConvention Center Arena 9,656 / 11,468 $158,698
March 1, 1990DallasReunion Arena 15,666 / 15,666 $239,509
March 3, 1990Kansas CityKemper Arena 12,145 / 16,000 $224,682
March 5, 1990St. LouisSt. Louis Arena 12,750 / 12,750 $228,309
March 6, 1990CincinnatiRiverfront Coliseum 13,032 / 13,032 $235,968
March 8, 1990Auburn HillsThe Palace of Auburn Hills 27,622 / 28,000 $572,440
March 9, 1990
March 20, 1990EdmontonCanadaNorthlands Coliseum 7,500 / 13,049 $132,900
March 21, 1990CalgaryOlympic Saddledome 8,107 / 11,754 $109,720
March 23, 1990VancouverPacific Coliseum 12,701 / 12,701 $185,993
March 24, 1990PortlandUnited StatesVeterans Memorial Coliseum 8,931 / 9,300 $169,689
March 26, 1990SeattleSeattle Center Coliseum 12,299 / 12,299 $219,410
March 28, 1990SacramentoARCO Arena 12,236 / 12,236 $232,602
March 30, 1990OaklandOakland Coliseum 26,124 / 26,124 $509,436
March 31, 1990
April 2, 1990InglewoodGreat Western Forum 28,000 / 28,000 $535,300
April 3, 1990
April 5, 1990San DiegoSan Diego Sports Arena 12,000 / 12,000 $218,300
April 7, 1990Costa MesaPacific Amphitheatre 13,856 / 18,861 $298,250
April 8, 1990PhoenixArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,669 / 13,669 $243,040
April 20, 1990East RutherfordBrendan Byrne Arena 18,717 / 18,717 $350,944
April 22, 1990UniondaleNassau Coliseum 15,546 / 15,546 $302,391
April 24, 1990PhiladelphiaThe Spectrum 14,130 / 14,130 $256,937
April 25, 1990East RutherfordBrendan Byrne Arena 13,138 / 14,953 $241,334
April 27, 1990PhiladelphiaThe Spectrum 14,130 / 14,130 $256,937
April 28, 1990RochesterWar Memorial Auditorium 8,418 / 8,418 $158,866
May 1, 1990AtlantaThe Omni 12,186 / 12,186 $221,384
May 2, 1990CharlotteCharlotte Coliseum 7,985 / 16,003 $155,708
May 4, 1990RichmondRichmond Coliseum 6,819 / 9,543 $126,152
May 5, 1990LargoCapital Centre —N/a —N/a
May 7, 1990ProvidenceCivic Center 11,888 / 12,100 $231,816
May 8, 1990HartfordHartford Civic Center 11,991 / 12,513 $229,535
May 10, 1990WorcesterThe Centrum 21,897 / 23,344 $413,870
May 11, 1990
May 13, 1990Quebec CityCanadaColisée Quebec City 10,540 / 11,500 $181,500
May 14, 1990MontrealMontreal Forum 12,128 / 12,800 $208,301
May 16, 1990TorontoMaple Leaf Gardens —N/a —N/a
May 17, 1990
June 2, 1990AlbanyUnited StatesKnickerbocker Arena 14,335 / 14,335 $267,232
June 4, 1990BaltimoreBaltimore Arena 5,671 / 14,000 $110,585
June 5, 1990HamptonHampton Coliseum 7,227 / 9,124 $133,699
June 7, 1990PittsburghCivic Arena 11,049 / 12,500 $209,462
June 8, 1990RichfieldRichfield Coliseum 15,539 / 15,539 $310,780
June 10, 1990Cuyahoga FallsBlossom Music Center —N/a —N/a
June 11, 1990CincinnatiRiverbend Music Center 8,089 / 8,089 $163,802
June 13, 1990ColumbusCooper Stadium 9,654 / 15,000 $207,515
June 14, 1990NoblesvilleDeer Creek Music Center 7,904 / 18,062 $135,198
June 16, 1990East TroyAlpine Valley Music Theatre 40,269 / 60,000 $886,384
June 17, 1990
June 19, 1990BloomingtonMet Center 10,725 / 10,725 $201,864
June 20, 1990OmahaOmaha Civic Auditorium 5,349 / 8,000 $105,643
June 22, 1990EnglewoodFiddler's Green Amphitheatre —N/a —N/a
June 24, 1990Salt Lake CitySalt Palace
June 26, 1990SacramentoCal Expo Amphitheatre 14,355 / 14,355 $327,218
June 27, 1990Mountain ViewShoreline Amphitheatre 15,400 / 20,000 $287,931
June 29, 1990IrvineIrvine Meadows Amphitheatre 15,000 / 15,000 $337,203

Personnel

References

Citations

  1. Little, Michelle (February 16, 1990). "Rush starts jamming and presto: A concert". Spartanburg, South Carolina: Herald-Journal. p. B11. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  2. Popoff 2021, p. 299.
  3. Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 290.
  4. Popoff 2021, p. 292.
  5. Hochanadel, Michael (June 4, 1990). "Rush Serves Up Spectacular Show". Albany, New York: The Daily Gazette. p. B8. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  6. Popoff 2021, pp. 291–292.
  7. Haidat, Janice (June 8, 1990). "Rush uses its talent to electrify concert". Youngstown, Ohio: The Vindicator. p. 24. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  8. King, Peter B. (June 8, 1990). "Rush lights up Civic Arena with art-rock display, visual explosion". No. 345. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press. p. C3. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  9. Daly & Hansen 2019, p. 293.
  10. Daly & Hansen 2019, pp. 293–301.
  11. "Presto Tour". Rush.com. Retrieved 6 April 2023.

Sources

  • Daly, Skip; Hansen, Eric (2019). Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth – The Official Touring History. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-68383-450-2.
  • Popoff, Martin (2021). Limelight: Rush in the '80s. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77041-569-0.